Former Ryder Cup captain Brian Huggett, who finished second in the 1965 Open Championship, has died at the age of 87.
A statement issued on behalf of Huggett’s family said he died in the early hours of Sunday morning after a short illness. His daughter Sandra also shared the news on X, formerly Twitter, describing herself as his “No 1 fan”.
Huggett, who was born in Porthcawl on November 18, 1936, played in the Ryder Cup six times, including the 1969 contest at Royal Birkdale which ended in a 16-16 tie after Jack Nicklaus famously conceded a vital putt to Tony Jacklin in the final singles match.
Brian Huggett (far left) with the other 11 members of Great Britain and Ireland’s 1969 Ryder Cup team (PA Archive)
Huggett halved the penultimate singles against Billy Casper.
Eight years later, Huggett was a non-playing captain of the Great Britain and Ireland team at Royal Lytham, the last contest before it was expanded to include players from continental Europe.
Huggett turned professional in 1951 and won a total of 16 times in Europe, including two after the European Tour was formed in 1972.
He missed the cut in his sole appearance in the Masters in 1969 but was third in the 1962 Open at Troon and second to Australia’s Peter Thomson at Royal Birkdale in 1965.
An inaugural member of the European Seniors Tour, Huggett won 10 times on the circuit and was later an ambassador the 2010 Ryder Cup, which saw the contest played in Wales for the first time.
Huggett was made an MBE in 1978 and was inducted to the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
My darling Dad passed away at 1am this morning. A part of my heart went with him. It was such a blessing to be with him and hold his hand for those last few hours. Love you Dad, from your No 1 fan 💔#myhero #BrianHuggett @RyderCupEurope #golf pic.twitter.com/WgrAICUffy
— sandra huggett (@sandra_huggett) September 22, 2024
Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald led the tributes to Huggett.
“It is desperately sad news and my thoughts are obviously with his wife Winnie, his daughters Sandra and Yvonne and his many friends,” Donald said.
“The Ryder Cup is all about history and tradition and no-one summed that up better than Brian Huggett. He was also a formidable competitor as his record showed and a truly inspirational figure both inside and outside the ropes.
“I got an understanding of that first hand when I was vice-captain to Thomas Bjorn in Paris in 2018 and Brian was an integral part of a motivational video we played for the team on the eve of the contest.
“Even though he was softly spoken, you could see the steely determination in his eyes when he stared down the camera lens – I will never forget that.”
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